The weekly sentinel. [volume] (Winston-Salem, N.C.) 1886-1887, 1887-04-14
self allaSnnent


How 1 longed for the faith of for 1.er years,
which would have made of them the symbols
of life to comel Little Jeanie's grave, beside
theirs with its white headstone, seemed to
to be separated from them by ages, not years
1t seemed SO old, SO old. Her memory, too,
had grown to be dreanllike and unreal
like story we have heard, not an experience
we have lived In the church 1 sat through
the Easter service, feeling like dulled, dazed,
accursed creature from another and lower
world, who could not understand words Of
hope and promise. The congregation sang
with old fashioned fervor:
He is risen, he is risen.
Tell it out with joyful voice;
He has burst his three days prison
Let the whole wide world rejoice.
Death is conquered, man is free,
Christ has won the victory.
heard the cheering words, saw the ex-
altation of belief in many faces but could
not enter into their joy. For me the grave
hid all. | could not see beyond it. could
not even with the eye of Imagination pene
trate its gloom.
Going home wandered through the lone
some house, soon to be dismantled and left
utterly desolate The small possessions of my
youth, even some of the toys of my boyhood,
We're there, put away by loving hands. Wan
dering from room to room the long time ]
had been absent seemed to be bloLoed out |
myself had returned from the dead to the
scenes of former life. Truly, l had been dead
dead to the light, dead TO love- dead to the
best of myself. l was dead and now l lived
again. \ life had been born in my soul
L was awakening from long sleep. a resur-
rection within me had taken place. | opened
a little polished box in one of the deserted
rooms and there, looking up at me with the
pathos Of human eyes, was the Easter egg
that little Jeaui4 bad given nic fit .en years
before. With q start l read again the motto
written in the irregular, childish hand, Love
lasts forever All, l had forgotten it.
Worse, l had done my best to xii! it. l had
even let the memory of this gentle and beauti-
full child soul / had once adored grow dim.
Tears o. shame and self abaSement ran from
my bursting eyes The little basket was
shruu!5en from age; tho wn,5 moses that
fastened the great eg4s within il lad c1umbled.
Ipiclel !. up reyC.yHtly. Looking closely l
saw tnat TIE cGG, which had been made in
parts, hud beon sealed together with wax
There we're still the prints Of the dear, clumsy
little fingers long crunhied into dust
touched it and the dry wax dropped away
III pieces and the err opened. Tierc folded
carefully was a tiny letter adlresscd 10 me,
George Blackw0od." Tramblingly opened
this sealed message from the dead And this,
in the same uncertain, childish hand, wts its
contents:
DEAR BROTHER GEoRGE-I love you very
much. | will love you rs long as | live and
just the same after l am dead, for love lasts
foTeVer. People who Gle are rot dead. They
rlsc iiz5.n, on I-nrEy tins, for you told me
out among the graves Just yesterday. ii you
die first you viii f-is = .-.l, tt!d will love mo IN
the new world you ~ INTO, am aIra. II I
die first / VIII do the same, and you n-Ust
never forget NC, you sister,
~JEANIH BLAcKwooD.'
! Easter, April, ieoI"
( a voice Iro-. Sac other sii.c tsctd spoken to
me, surely. I held tie precious otter in my
hand and sobbed out my agony Ike cLild,
! for was chiid:n humility again.
! She ..wou!d love me always, for love lasts
/ forever" The sweet words stabbed ny un-
: worthy Heart They VIII rise again" 1t
must be 50, though [ had SO long doubted.
I Yet here were tie words Of love. Could they
outlast life itself-outlast the soal that
penned them? ln that hour doubt left ne
and faith returned. The beautiful Child SO
long ioF-sot zen Iiv ID again. sSlae, seemed near
me, asIsl 4 ..ou,1eIe! bow l coa!I have lot her
memory fade Odt aS IL had done SO real
I Together we wandered over tho old home.
Together we stood by the two new graves i'll
the chUraiyaro She brought me faith and
forgiveness, for loi the dear mother and
benediction of their love and pardon. Love
lasts forever" Thei had aslod Z ns-
glect, which bit -er - tls2th. So il
could. then, outiaSt death itself.
When the sun of that Las, suG 4 r.5u.IC =
lion had, indeed, taken place. A new heart
was born within me. Jeanies Easter egg had
brought forth life, the life of belief, OF hope
Of love. The winds from the wilderness of
1oubt blew over my soul no more. A child's
hand, dead chiIds hand, had broken the
manacles which bound me to error 1t
brought me the TRUTH and was it not said by
The Master that 'the truth shall make We
tree!" GERTRUDE GARRISON